Optical ribbon fibers which have a row of fibers sheathed together in a flat ribbon shape are being used in increasingly more applications. Ribbon fibers are commonly used with multi-fiber connectors such as the MT type of ferrule and connector. U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,730 to Nagasawa et al. discloses several embodiments of MT ferrules and connectors. Additionally the ends of ribbon fibers may be furcated and each individual fiber or pair of fibers terminated in a distinct connector. As ribbon fiber increases in use, there is a growing need to be able to strain relieve optical ribbon fibers to prevent an excessive strain or pull on the ribbon fibers from damaging an optical ribbon fiber connection or other joint. Furthermore, a need exists for a strain relief device that can accommodate a plurality of optical ribbon fibers together in order to conserve space and better manage the ribbon fibers.
One example of an application where strain relief is needed is where two large fiber optic cables, each comprising a plurality of optical ribbon fibers, are joined together in a cylindrical closure. Typically, the two pluralities of optical ribbon fibers are joined together either by splicing or some type of connection, e.g. MT ferrules, and the resulting joints are then placed in a series of trays inside the closure. During the long, tedious process of joining the ribbon fibers to each other and placing the joints in the trays, it is not unlikely that a craft person will inadvertently snag or pull one or more of the optical ribbon fibers. Therefore, a need exists to be able to strain relieve optical ribbon fibers to prevent transference of a strain to the joints in the tray. Furthermore, a need exists to be able to strain relieve optical ribbon fibers in groups in order to conserve space and better manage the ribbon fibers.